P&G, Constellation Build 50-Megawatt Renewable Energy Plant

Making good on its commitment to reduce energy consumption and obtain 30% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, Procter & Gamble announced on Sept. 26 that it completed a 50-megawatt biomass-fueled combined heat and power plant at one of its largest U.S. facilities.

P&G partnered with Constellation, which owns and operates the plant and supplies steam to P&G’s Albany, Ga. paper manufacturing facility as well as generating electricity for the local utility, Georgia Power.

Additionally, steam from the plant will be used to power an 8.5-megawatt steam-to-electricity generator at the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, helping the base increase its energy security and utilize renewable sources to meet energy demands.

Along with P&G’s recent wind energy project in Texas, this plant nearly doubles the company’s use of renewable energy. Together, these renewable projects get P&G nearly two-thirds of the way to its goal.

“By powering our Bounty and Charmin plant with renewable energy, consumers can feel good about putting these products in their carts,” said Stefano Zenezini, P&G Vice President Product Supply and Sustainability. “We are using our innovative capabilities and those of our external partners to drive meaningful change that is good for the environment and good for business.”

The plant’s fuel supply will come from locally abundant biomass that would otherwise have been left to decay, burned, or potentially sent to landfill, including discarded tree tops, limbs, branches and scrap wood from local forestry operations, crop residuals, such as pecan shells and peanut hulls, and mill waste, such as sawdust.

Georgia Power’s purchase of energy from Constellation is part of its multifaceted strategy to encourage and cultivate renewable energy sources in Georgia and was made possible under a program co-developed with, and approved by, the Georgia Public Service Commission.